Original songs by Theo Langason will be featured before and between acts. Special appearance by Open Eye's Two-Wheel Tour prior to the show—come early!

Saudade (sau-DAH- deh) uses light and shadow to explore immigrant experiences in the United States. The 45-minute show portrays three stories of fictional immigrant families to Washington, DC. Nearly wordless, and accompanied by a meticulously-designed ambient noise soundtrack, the piece depicts moments when its characters feel “saudade” – a Portuguese word referring to melancholy and nostalgia for places left behind.

The play’s three fictitious families grew out a series of more than 50 interviews that Cecilia Cackley, Artistic Director of Wit’s End Puppets, conducted with immigrants to the DC area. The play is performed on a “crankie,” or 25-pound paper scroll to which scenery silhouettes are affixed. The crankie gets its name from the cranking motion used to advance the scroll from one scene to the next. Two puppeteers perform more than 60 individual puppets, which are all precisely laid out on a table before the show. “It’s as tightly choreographed behind the scenes as it is on the screen,” Cackley says. Each performance will be followed by a post-show discussion and an opportunity to explore their behind-the-scenes setup. More about Wit's End Puppets.

The Trouble With Maker (a short piece performed before Saudade) is colored by dystopian science fiction, pathetic clown, and internet age hyper-saturation. Through mask and object work, Kalen Keir mines a sense childlike joy alongside a foreboding of devastating loss.

Tickets$10 — Suggested donation (door)

A portion of the proceeds will support area organizations serving immigrants and refugees.